Feel That Fire

The room was full of women. They were busily trying to get hair and makeup finished before the big event. Dresses were scattered along the back of doors and across chairs. Curlers were in every woman’s hair and makeup was being applied as well.

“Em, have you seen my purple eye shadow?” Dani asked as she continued to apply makeup to Liz. Jasmine was working on Blair’s makeup too. Emmalyn was waiting patiently for her turn to be made over.

“Yep, it’s right here in my bag,” she said digging through the silver bag beside her. Finally finding what she was looking for, she handed the small mirrored compact to Dani.

“Are you nervous?” Bella asked nudging Emmalyn’s shoulder.

“No, I’m anxious and excited. I can’t wait to be Brian’s wife. I’ve dreamed of this for so long,” she said wistfully. Bella smiled when she heard her friend’s words. She definitely knew for sure how long Emmalyn had dreamed of this. She’d been listening to her talk about Brian for years. She had wiped away many tears over the years too. Glad that they were able to find each other in the end, she couldn’t help but feel a little sad.

“I’m going to miss you,” Bella said quietly.

“Why? I’m not going anywhere! You know how cool Brian is about us hanging out. I know things are going to change, but it won’t be that big of a change,” Emmalyn said hugging her best friend.

“Ok, Emmalyn! It’s your turn! Time to fix up the beautiful bride,” Dani said excitedly.

On the other side of the church

“Why do we have to keep the babies here?” Jimmy complained as he tried to calm a crying Evan. Dani and Jasmine had handed their children over to their fathers a few hours ago.

“Because the women have to get ready, and they can’t do that with babies around,” Brian explained straightening his tie. The wedding was set to start in less than an hour. Excitement coursed through his veins as he thought about seeing Emmalyn walking towards him.

“How you feeling, man? Ready to run yet?” Johnny asked with a smile. Immediately, his head jerked forward when Matt slapped him on the back of the head.

“Shut up,” he commanded.

“No way, dude. Nothing could stop me from marrying her,” Brian said with a smile.

An hour later

Watching Emmalyn walk down the aisle had to be the most amazing sight he had ever seen. She was vision in her white princess style dress. It was strapless and had beautiful beadwork on the bodice. The skirt was made of layer upon layer of tool. Her hair was curled and half of it was pulled away from her face. The veil she wore was long and flowing. The bouquet of pink gerber daisies she had in her right hand accented the pink ribbon around her waist. Her smile was genuine and full of love.

When she and her father reached him, Brian’s heart catapulted in his chest as he saw the tears in her eyes. Zacky, the best man, quietly clapped him on the back when he noticed the tears in Brian’s eyes as well.

Her father gave her to him and Brian took her hand as he led her up the steps to the altar. They turned to face each other after Emmalyn handed her bouquet to Bella, her maid of honor. With their hands clasped together, they listened to the words of the pastor and repeated their vows to each other without ever breaking eye contact. Before long it was time for Matt and Jasmine to sing “When God Made You” by Newsong. During the song, whenever Matt would sing the line “When God made you, He must have thinking about me” Brian would squeeze her hands tighter and smile at her. When the song was finished, they exchanged their rings. Brian’s ring was a simple platinum band while Emmalyn’s was also platinum, but hers had diamonds all the way around the band. As they adjusted their new rings, the pastor officially pronounced them man and wife.

“You may now ki—” he started to say, but Brian beat him to the punch line when he swooped in to place a steamy kiss on Emmalyn’s lips. Their friends and family laughed and applauded when they turned to face the congregation.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I now present to you Mr. and Mrs. Brian Elwin Haner Jr.,” the pastor announced as the newlyweds made their way back down the aisle. They smiled at their parents, family, and friends as they passed them. When they reached the back of the church, the rest of the wedding party filed in one couple at a time. Congratulations went around as they received hugs from their friends and family members. Matt held Emmalyn especially tight and whispered best wishes in her ear. When they pulled back, there were tears in both their eyes. He kissed her quickly on the lips and pulled his new brother-in-law into a hug.

“Looks like we’re officially brothers now,” Matt chuckled slapping Brian on the back. Brian grinned back in response before pulling his bride to him. He placed a kiss on her lips.

“Hello, Mrs. Haner,” he smirked. Emmalyn’s face lit up when she heard his words.

“Hi there, husband!” she returned. They were interrupted when their parents and grandparents joined them. After the rest of their guests left for the reception, the bridal party went back in the church for pictures.

At the reception

“Can I have everyone’s attention?” Zacky said into the microphone. “Since I’m the best man, it’s my job to deliver a speech about the bride and groom. My wife was helping me prepare what to say this week, but it was really hard to come up with the right words for Brian and Emmalyn. The two of them have been a big part of my life for so long. I can still remember the first time I met Emmalyn. She was this little, tiny thing with knobby knees and no front teeth. We used to pick on her when she would follow us around, but Brian would always make sure she was okay and make her feel wanted. I guess even then he was in love with her. Even though they’ve both dated other people over the years, it was painfully obvious to the rest of us that they were in love with each other. When Brian finally grew a pair and asked her out, I think we all offered up prayers of thanks to the heavens. It was about time—”

“Amen!” a voice that sounded like Papa Gates interrupted, which caused everyone to laugh.

“Exactly! Anyway, I know both of these people very well, and I know that what they have is real and true. Brian, Emmalyn, we all love you very much and we’re so glad to be able to experience this happy moment in your lives with you. Take care of each other. Remember to always put each other above anything else. Lastly, know that we are all here for you no matter what. Here’s to Brian and Emmalyn,” Zacky concluded as everyone raised their drinks in toast.

Finally, Emmalyn Grace Sanders Haner had just witnessed her longest dream come true. She was married to the man she had been in love with since she was six.